The Art of War: The Strategy of Sun Tzu

This timeless text is required listening for any business person or athlete interested in strategy. It includes a soundtrack entitled "The Mysterious Sound of Wind In the Bamboo", a 43-minute collection of Zen-inspired Japanese music by the Matsu Take Ensemble.

Tinker: Elfhome, Book 1

Inventor, girl genius Tinker lives in a near-future Pittsburgh which now exists mostly in the land of the elves. She runs her salvage business, pays her taxes, and tries to keep the local ambient level of magic down with gadgets of her own design. When a pack of wargs chase an Elven noble into her scrap yard, life as she knows it takes a serious detour.

Living the French Revolution and the Age of Napoleon

The 25 years between the onset of the French Revolution in 1789 and the Bourbon Restoration after Napoleon in 1814 is an astonishing period in world history. This era shook the foundations of the old world and marked a permanent shift for politics, religion, and society - not just for France, but for all of Europe. An account of the events alone reads like something out of a thrilling novel.

Monte Johnston says:"Such a great balance of the big picture and detail"

I've been looking for an English language history of the French Revolution and I'm very happy to have found this course.

What I wanted was an overview of what happened during the french revolution and the Napoleonic wars and this course was almost exactly what I was looking for.

I might suggest that they split the topics into two courses, one for Napoleon and one for the revolution as even with something like 38 chapters it feels like we are missing some of the depth that would be helpful in understanding the subject matter.

City of Lies

Goldie Roth is a trained thief and a skilled liar. Along with her friend Toadspit, she's supposed to be one of the Keepers of the mysterious Museum of Dunt. But although she desperately wants to be a Keeper, she will not leave her sick parents to do so. But when Toadspit's sister Bonnie is stolen, he and Goldie are forced to follow the child-stealers to the neighboring city of Spoke. Along the way, Toadspit too is captured, and Goldie is caught up in the Festival of Lies, where every word she says means something else and no one can be trusted.

I enjoyed this well read story by Claudia Black,but I found the conceits of the universe tiring after a while.

Not only is there a city where for 3 to 5 days everyone has to lie , It also has random magic that turns the lies true, this is in addition the city of Jewel with its now freed and completely scared of being freed population and it's museum of thieves with its strange magic.

I think the author was going for an eclectic universe but instead it's a more muddled one.

Heroes and Legends: The Most Influential Characters of Literature

Odysseus. Robinson Crusoe. Harry Potter. What do these memorable characters have in common? Why do we turn to certain stories again and again? And what impact have they made on world history? These 24 eye-opening lectures give fresh insight into some of the greatest heroes in world literature, from warriors such as Beowulf and Odysseus to unexpected heroes such as Uncle Tom and Sancho Panza. Professor Shippey gives you an inside glimpse into the writer's process.

The Story of an Hour

Kate Chopin's brilliant short story about an hour in the life of a young wife. When news arrives that Louise's husband has been killed in a railroad accident, her family and friends are careful to break it to her gently, knowing that she has a heart condition. Louise locks herself in her room for an hour, during which she realizes that this bereavement is the start of a new life of freedom and independence. But a much greater shock awaits her when she leaves her room and goes downstairs....

Last Watch: Watch, Book 4

Anton Gorodetsky is just getting a feel for his new powers, when his boss sends him to assist the Scottish Night Watch in a murder investigation. A young Russian man has been murdered - apparently by a vampire. But the mystery is more than it seems. The murderer appears to be someone with intimate knowledge of the Night Watch. Before long, Anton realizes that a plot is being hatched by the forces of both darkness and light that - unless he can intervene - may mean nothing less than Armageddon.

The "Watch" verse, where those who champion the forces of light "The Night Watch" and the darkness "The Day Watch" and the balance "The Inquisition" are as always, drawn into conflict in an eternal struggle for power that results, as always in balance of a kind. And perhaps in this case forgiveness?

And Merlin. Who is very cool.

A beautiful tight series of the three interconnected stories where the Dark Ones and the Light Ones once again prove that most the differences between them are semantics. The real barriers are the ones between the Others and the rest of us.

I highly recommend the whole series, but this book in particular is top notch.

The Serpent Sea

Moon, once a solitary wanderer, has become consort to Jade, sister queen of the Indigo Cloud court. Together, they travel with their people on a pair of flying ships in hopes of finding a new home for their colony. Moon finally feels like he’s found a tribe where he belongs. But when the travelers reach the ancestral home of Indigo Cloud, shrouded within the trunk of a mountain-sized tree, they discover a blight infecting its core.

This story rejoins our characters a few days after the end of book one.

Once again Moon, is found trying to findhis place within Raksura society as the troubled colony of Indigo Cloud moves to it's new home, also it's old home, in the reaches. Once again Moon, and the Indigo Cloud Colony find that things are not going to be easy.

Another great story as Moon tries to work out what it means to be a Consort as well as a Raksura. The narrator does a good job of keeping the diverse characters straight and the wit of the characters comes through well.

Second books are often a disappointment. This one wasn't. Martha Wells builds on book one, deepening our understanding of the world and the characters, along with a great adventure and exploration tale in a world still full of wonders.

The Cloud Roads

Moon has spent his life hiding what he is - a shape-shifter able to transform himself into a winged creature of flight. An orphan with only vague memories of his own kind, Moon tries to fit in among the tribes of his river valley, with mixed success. Just as Moon is once again cast out by his adopted tribe, he discovers a shape-shifter like himself... someone who seems to know exactly what he is, who promises that Moon will be welcomed into his community.

A wildly imaginative world (or three worlds, sky, ground and sea) is introduced in this first book the Raksura. We meet Moon a shape-shifter in hiding who is just trying to get along with the humanoids he's hiding among just as things are about to go wrong for him, again.

I really enjoyed this book, the characters are well drawn and interesting, the world is an extremely vivid one that seems to be truly alien and the story of a young man finding himself and his people is well told.

Razor's Edge: Star Wars: Empire and Rebellion, Book 1

Times are desperate for the Rebel Alliance. Harassment by the Empire and a shortage of vital supplies are hindering completion of a new secret base on the ice planet Hoth. So when Mid Rim merchants offer much-needed materials for sale, Princess Leia Organa and Han Solo lead an Alliance delegation to negotiate a deal. But when treachery forces the rebel ship to flee into territory controlled by pirates, Leia makes a shocking discovery: The fierce marauders come from Leia's homeworld of Alderaan, recently destroyed by the Death Star.

I enjoyed this book. It's a good in-between story of Han and Leia between A New Hope and Empire strikes back, The characters we know are in character and the new ones are engaging a well told adventure story.

My Quibble and why "narration" was only two stars, Apologies to January LaVoy, who did a good job, but the audio version comes complete with blaster fire (and other special effect sounds). I don't need blaster fire sounds, that's what my imagination is for.

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